Languedoc's living books ('Hommes livres')

The "Hommes livres” of Languedoc are living books that tell the story of the winegrowers. They recount tales from the lives and careers of men and women who are the artists and craftsman of their wine-growing soils - and they talk to us ‘straight from the heart’.

The idea is inspired by an initiative from the Toronto Public Library in Canada. There, library users come along to spend time with people whose life experiences are of literary interest, creating a kind of "living library". Our Living Books originally worked in advertising, marketing, the building trade or in a vineyard, but their destiny was to follow a different path: life or a particular passion made the decision for them. These were men and women who all loved the life that they lived, their vines and the land where they were born, but more than anything else, they loved Languedoc. They stand for a deep-rooted dynamism, freedom of spirit and passion. You’re invited to come and meet them, either by video or in person. They represent all the winegrowers of Languedoc: they are creative, committed, innovative and always moving forwards.

A boltfrom the blue

It came as something of a bolt from the blue for the vines of Montpeyroux when a former city-dweller became one of the great winegrowers of the Terrasses du Larzac and Chair of the 'Vinifilles en Languedoc-Roussillon' society.

An epicurean winegrower

Philippe left behind a comfortable lifestyle going back 20 years to answer the call of his native soil. Inspired by his taste for the good things in life, his love of sharing and his enjoyment of nature, he decided to work as an organic grower. A true “bon vivant”, Philippe has totally committed himself to life as a winegrower.

Energetic and passionate

The daughter of a winegrower, she always intended to follow a different career, but her attachment to her homeland and the values of the people who live there made her change her mind. A woman of passion, Caroline loves to share her family’s vineyard – as well as learning how to kite-surf!

A heritage of vines and nature

After studying agriculture he went off to pursue a career in Japan, but his love for his homeland was the invisible bond that brought him back to the family estate. Here, he tells us about his attachment to the beautiful Languedoc wine-growing area of Pic Saint-Loup.

Video coming soon...

Creativity and freedom

Enthusiastic about creativity and freedom, he considers wine to be an artistic process. Being a winegrower means that you own places and spaces, and so he feels that it makes perfect sense to organise concerts and get-togethers on the land. This passion has resulted in him welcoming a theatrical company in residence to his estate.

The winegrower from elsewhere

His accent is not quite the same as that of his wine! John is American, one of the 'Outsiders'. He’s also a poet, a singer when the mood takes him, and a demanding winegrower who loves the Minervois district. Here, he gives us his admiring view of the landscapes and his life as a winegrower.

An active farmer

He says himself that he “wasn’t made for doing the same thing all his life”. After working in scientific research, he decided to become a winegrower and nurseryman because he wanted to create wines “from the very beginning to the very end”. He never tires of building, improving and innovating...

Video coming soon...

Cooperation and poetry

Being the female Chair of a cooperative wine cellar is quite unusual. Bernadette Gazel has taken her place in an otherwise male world with modesty and a gentle touch. It was these same qualities that made her suggest to her fellow cooperative winegrowers the idea of a poets’ pathway, in honour of the writer Max Rouquette. And it worked!